The value of platform as a service (PaaS) is not that you can take your on-premise applications and run them in the cloud – that’s so ASP! In my opinion (and what would a blog be without one), the real value is in enabling functionality that was simply impossible or too hard in an on-premise […]
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She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not: SaaS and SAP
From the Department of Irony and Confusion: Businesses Reject SaaS as Core Platform SAP’s Business ByDemand: The Perfection Conundrum ByDesign, the younger person’s ERP SAP Business ByDesign customers quietly confident Decelerating ByDesign See if you can find a common theme. The only one I could find: She loves me, she loves me not, she loves […]
In India, with Force(.com) !
The Tour de Force events across the globe continue to draw great attendance and interest from developers looking to build new SaaS applications. The event is yet to make its way to India but I have been traveling across India (Pune & Bangalore) meeting with partners, educating them about Force.com and Platform as a Service […]
Franchises are for Pizza and Burgers, Not SaaS and Banks
I get a feeling that some mediocre MBA read a case study on franchising and the huge profits it has delivered to companies behind the big pizza and burger brands, and decided to apply it to software. Add the failed ASP model to the inappropriate franchise model borrowed from pizza and burger chains – and […]
Cloud Computing: Its Raining Ideas – Want a Cup of Starbucks?
I know I went overboard on metaphors in the title (cloud, rain, coffee) but then when you have the last few weeks like we have had at Salesforce.com, its hard to not to have your head in the clouds. I know. So here is the scoop, if you have been living under a rock: Starbucks […]
Aberdeen Group Report on Leadership of Oracle SaaS Platform
The Aberdeen Group has issued a research note evaluating the Oracle SaaS Platform. The Insight report talks to the leadership and momentum of the SaaS Platform for ISVs looking to build on-demand applications. I will let Aberdeen Group’s report do the talking, so here is a short excerpt from the conclusion section: Oracle has indeed […]
Oracle SaaS Platform – Gaining Momentum as a Leader
This was an exciting week for Oracle & SaaS – SaaS was a prominent topic of discussion by key executives whether it was Larry’s keynote featuring Social CRM demo by Anthony Lye, or the blogger-analyst discussions with Charles Phillips. Oracle and several partners outlined the leadership position of Oracle SaaS Platform as platform of choice […]
Oracle’s Siebel CRM On Demand to Be Offered Through WebEx Connect Mashup Platform
Oracle today announced that Oracle’s Siebel CRM On Demand will be offered through WebEx Connect Mashup Platform. The press release points out the key capabilities of the solution: WebEx CRM On Demand by Oracle delivered by WebEx offers a comprehensive set of CRM capabilities including: Sales management tools that allow users to engage prospects at […]
SaaS Event: Software Business Online Conference (Discount Code Included)
I will be giving a keynote the Software Business Online Conference in Santa Clara on Oct 2nd on the SaaS Ecosystem. In my role of working with Oracle SaaS Program partners, I have learned some lessons on where the SaaS ecosystem is headed, what mistakes to avoid, how to pick the right partners and ecosystems […]
SaaS lovers want it both ways – a short rant
A lot of SaaS proponents take great pride in distinguishing the new Software as a Service era from the hosted applications or ASP model – and insist that there is only one right way of doing SaaS. This is in direct contrast to what I am seeing a lot of ISVs do in real life […]
Charles Phillips discusses Oracle SaaS Leadership
Charles Phillips recently emphasized Oracle’s SaaS leadership in an interview to Datamonitor: Always on the look out for growth, Oracle believes the SaaS movement will provide it with two revenue opportunities, one from additional database sales and the other from direct income from services. As far as databases are concerned, president Charles Phillips believes the […]
Security continues to be a key challenge for SaaS vendors
Jon Oltsik of CNet Blogs had an insightful post titled – Software as a Service needs a strong foundation of security. And I could not agree more. This is a key theme that is brought up in our discussions with ISVs and end customers. Jon mentions three key points and I quote: “SaaS vendors must […]
Predicting the end of Salesforce?
Fellow Irregular, Joshua Greenbaum has posted this excellent note entitled Siebel 2.0: The end of Salesforce, and it follows up on an earlier post by Phil Wainewright How is AppExchange really doing? I recommend you to check both of these out. Here is a quote from Josh: The parallels (with Siebel), unfortunately, regarding Marc’s claims […]
AppExchange vs Windows Marketplace
I discovered Microsoft’s Windows Marketplace by serendipity. And was surprised to see the breadth of the solutions being sold, ready for download. Yes, we all know that SaaS is the way of the future but the fact remains that over 90% of computers sold in the world come with a Microsoft OS and this site […]
SaaS: The Multiplier Effect
There are many well-known benefits of SaaS solutions such as subcription pricing, faster implementations and greater user adoption. One that is rarely mentioned is the multiplier effect for niche partner solutions. As an example, take an HR application. If a niche vendor comes in to introduce a complementary application to say automate performance review approvals. […]
Blockbuster v NetFlix: Lessons for software vendors considering SaaS
NetFlix nearly killed Blockbuster by revolutionizing the video rental business with its SaaS-like subscription pricing model and Web2.0-like community referrals. Blockbuster has fought back hard for its life and there are signs now that the tide may be turning in its favor. But Blockbuster lost nearly 75% of its $4 billion market cap over last […]
India still needs WaaS, PaaS and not (only) SaaS
by indoloony India is making a lot of progress with more new billionaires being minted every month. The focus on software industry sometimes takes away from what are more pertinent problems- Water (as a Service) and Power (as a Service). Most Delhiites get around 2 to 4 hours of water supply and must have intricate […]
Broadband for $1 a month, SaaS and Flat World
I just returned from a two week India trip, and was once again amazed by the rate of change- or to be more precise the rate of change in the rate of change (acceleration). I attended an event hosted by TiE New Delhi where a speaker mentioned that the cost of broadband in India is […]
Did Huawei cause Cisco to buy WebEx?
I just returned from the SaaS Summit organized by OpSource in Monterey, California (more on that later) and a lot of the discussion turned to Cisco’s WebEx acquisition and what it means for SaaS and the high-tech industry in general. Most of the reasons cited for Cisco’s move to acquire WebEx by experts were around […]
Peek inside the Kitchen: Why SaaS customers should care about SOA?
If you are a customer that is using on-demand CRM, HR, Reporting, you may think that you probably need not bother about SOA. After all, SaaS is akin to ordering a meal at a restaurant rather than cooking one yourself. But actually you should care about how the meal is prepared, metaphorically speaking, for several […]